Umbrella causes University of Oklahoma lockdown

Given last week's tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, Chicken-Fried News understands that college campuses nationwide have every reason to be on edge and hyperalert. But that shouldn't affect one's ability to recognize common household objects.

On the morning of April 17, one day after a student killed 33 people, including himself, at Virginia Tech, the University of Oklahoma experienced a brief lockdown following a report of a man carrying what looked to be a gun near the campus's HustonHuffmanCenter.

But, about 30 minutes later, the lockdown was lifted. It wasn't a weapon at all, but a yoga mat, according to a mass e-mail from OU President David Boren.

Er, wait, scratch that. The yoga mat later was revealed to be not a piece of fitness equipment at all, but an umbrella. Yoga mat, umbrella " to-may-to, to-mah-to.

Apparently, one student found it odd to see someone carrying such a metallic device with protective canopy outdoors, on a day with an 80 percent chance of rain. After all, Rick said it would.